Expectations
by aimeecharlotte
Summary: After finishing Yale, Rory is struggling to find a job. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, has just been offered an interview at a small, but rising, publishing house in Philadelphia- Truncheon books. This is our first Lit fic, co-written.


A/N: Okay, so a few things before I start: Most will be explained during the fic but to not cause any confusion I feel I ought to explain the time-line a little.

- The last time Jess and Rory met was season 4, she knows nothing of Truncheon, Jess's book or his success. Due to this a few things didn't happen, mainly that Jess didn't give Rory her much needed wake-up call and she therefore took more time off from Yale. She did go back, eventually. As I said though, most will be explained in the fic, hopefully in the first few chapters.

Another thing I should note: This is a Literati, it may not seem like it for awhile but trust me, it is.

Oh, and please review at the end. As much fun as this is to write, we won't keep posting if people don't like it.

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Chapter 1:

Mentally calming herself, Rory picked up the first envelope and shakily began to tear it open.

She'd left this morning before the postman had arrived and had had to spend the entire morning in anticipation. Walking up and down the aisles in the supermarket that morning, Rory had considered the only two possibilities: acceptance or rejection. Even then, though, an acceptance would only be the first stage, she'd still have to impress in an interview against dozens of other applicants all after the same job. It was the reason she applied to as many magazines and newspapers as possible.

She'd hoped this way she could have choices. Of course, she had her favourite: 'The New York Times', somewhere as prestigious as that and close to home seemed perfect. Yet, the idea of 'The Washington Post' would also be great, if on the other side of the country. It didn't matter the location, Rory had applied to every esteemed journalistic establishment in the country.

Taking a deep breath, Rory looked down at the letter in her hand:

_Dear Miss Gilmore,_

_I regret to inform you that we have no current positions for you at the moment,…_

Okay, so that one was out. It's not as though she really wanted to work there anyway, it was just a back-up. She continued to ruffle through the stack of mail till she discovered one quite clearly from 'The New York Times'. Once again, Rory took a moment to collect herself before opening it, only to read:

_Dear Miss Gilmore,_

_As of now, there are no positions available that are suitable to…_

Rory's face visibly crumpled. How could she not get the position? She was perfectly suited: Her degree in Journalism had to mean something, the articles she'd included in her application were definitely her best and surely her experience alone at 'The Yale Daily News' was proof enough that she had what it took to be a serious journalist.

Rory leafed through four more rejection letters, even one to a magazine that specialized in horses -which Rory was sure she had never applied for- who suggested that the only positions available were those in the cleaning staff. Surely that wasn't her only option?

Placing all Roberts mail on the breakfast bar, Rory went over to the fridge to see what junk food lurked; she was too depressed to anything but pig-out and watch television till Robert came home, hopefully it wouldn't be too soon as Rory felt the need to be comforted at the moment.

For a moment Rory considered calling her mother but decided against it. The two of them had never really returned to that special relationship they had once originally shared. Lorelai had disagreed with Rory's decision to quit Yale and as the years went by the wedge between them had only grew, of course Lorelai was happy when after two years of organizing D.A.R luncheons and a proposal from Logan Rory had chosen to continue her education, but the damage was done. They were on good terms but Rory didn't feel as though she could face telling Lorelai what a failure she was becoming.

Just as soon as she had smushed herself into perfect position on the couch and opened her tub of Cookie Dough ice-cream the door opened, baring Rory's boyfriend with bags full of take-out.

'Hey, I doubted either of us would feel up to cooking so I grabbed Chinese on the way home from work,' he said making his way over to Rory who he lent down to kiss on the forehead. 'Do you want me to put it in the fridge for later?'

'Err, no. I wasn't sure when you'd be home so I was about to dig into the ice-cream but I'll put this back.' Rory stood up to make her way over towards the fridge when Robert grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back to lean against his chest.

'Ice-cream? That's comfort food. What's wrong?' Robert whispered into her ear, his voice laced with concern.

'Nothing.'

'Rory?'

Rory sighed and turned around, all the while making sure she was still in the protection of Robert's arms. 'I got more rejection letters.'

'Oh?'

'One from The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and a magazine that specializes in horses. I mean, if a horse magazine doesn't want me who else would hire me?' Rory rested her head on Robert's shoulder, already feeling slightly better about the situation. Not great, but slightly better. It always helped to vent her anxieties onto someone else and without her mother around Robert was the next best target.

'Well, for one thing, you don't know anything about horses so that explains why you didn't get that job and for another, your just out of college. _I_ knowyou're a great journalist but papers like The New York Times will want someone with a lot more experience.'

'No, that's not it! They know. They know I quit Yale and spent my time hanging with the D.A.R.' Rory pushed away from Robert. 'They know what a flake I am and… God, I bet Mr Huntzberger has been calling around everywhere telling them what a loser I am, how fickle I am. I mean, I spent my whole life dreaming of this them bam! One day I suddenly decide to drop it all. Same goes for Logan. I spend years building a relationship with him and when he proposes that's when I change my mind!'

'Rory?' Robert stood there looking helpless. 'He wouldn't do that, and they don't know anything about your personal life.'

Rory seemed to take a moment to contemplate his words. 'Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do any more, I can't keep living off my grandparents money. I need a job.'

'Hey, you have me to support you', Robert said, taking a step towards Rory.

'You're a barista.' Rory smiled, Robert really was sweet and so good to her. He had graduated Yale the same time as Rory, having started late so he could earn some cash first. The two shared a few classes but hadn't really paid much attention to the other, Robert would disagree with this, saying he liked Rory from the moment he met her but didn't have the courage to talk to her. Rory didn't believe him but it didn't matter. They had been like this for months until finally Rory stopped by the coffee shop he worked in and the two recognized each other and began discussing their shared class.

The relationship had started slow, Rory still reeling from the end of her one with Logan, but when the two graduated they decided to rent a flat together while they both searched for jobs in their chosen professions: Rory's journalism and Robert's publishing.

'Yeah… I guess I'm not having much luck in the job market either, am I?' Robert lamented before his face schooled itself into a more hopeful expression. 'Did I get any mail today?'

'Over on the breakfast bar,' Rory said as she placed her now soft ice-cream on the coffee table and began rooting through the bags of take-out for something to eat.

As she sat herself back on the couch, Rory began contemplating her next move. She hadn't quite heard back from everywhere yet, and while all her first choices had rejected her Robert was right, they wanted someone with more experience. Maybe, Rory thought, she could apply again to The New York Times in a couple of years, after she had worked a little more, built up her portfolio a bit.

'Oh my God!'

Rory was suddenly dragged out of her thoughts. Turning her head she saw Robert standing by the couch holding a envelope in one hand and a letter in the other, a very wide grin on his face.

'What is it?' She said, standing up and placing her food container back down.

'I've got an interview,' Robert exclaimed, his face now flush with excitement.

Rory couldn't help it when she felt her stomach drop. Robert had an interview, and she didn't. 'Where is it?' she stammered out, unable to get over her disappointment which, thankfully, Robert hadn't seemed to have noticed.

'Truncheon books.' At Rory's quizzical expression he continued, 'I know, I hadn't heard of it either. When I was filling out application forms I came across it. It's a really small publishing house, but rapidly growing, apparently it's been very successful so far.'

'Where is it?' Rory asked.

Robert's face faltered. 'Philadelphia.'

'Oh.'

'Yeah… but, you know, I'm only in the interviewing stage at the moment.'

'Yeah, you might not even get the job,' Rory stated before realizing what she had just said. Noticing Roberts hurt expression she attempted to rectify herself, 'Although, why wouldn't you get it? I mean, they would be crazy not to hire you. If I owned a publishing house, I would hire you immediately. In fact, I would ask specifically for you, I would be all "send me that Robert-'

'Rory?' Robert cut off before she could continue. 'It's okay, I know what you mean.'

'I'm sorry, I just panicked at the thought of you moving to Philadelphia.'

It was true, as soon as Robert said the words _Philadelphia _her brain had gone straight into panic mode_. _If he got the job in Philadelphia surely he would have to move, leaving Rory in their apartment all alone. It wasn't even the financial situation she was in that worried her, her grandparents were loaning the money for rent and would keep doing so until she found herself a job and could provide for herself, but the thought of living here alone, with no job, was terrifying to her.

Rory hated the idea that everyone else seemed to be moving forward with their lives while she remained in limbo. If someone had asked her at sixteen where she expected to be now, she would have replied with the answer of travelling around the world reporting everything she saw. Of course, she had never anticipated her diversion of dropping out of Yale; if she had kept on track Rory would have graduated the same year as Paris, the girl who had been accepted straight away into Harvard medical school.

Not that Rory really regretted the idea of dropping out, after all, it did enable her to meet Robert. But still… even he was going places.

'Rory?'

Once again, Rory was dragged away from her thoughts. 'Yeah?'

'Philadelphia's not that far away. We _can_ still make this work?' Robert was asking a question, wanting Rory to make the decision over their relationship.

'Yeah, of course we can.' She hadn't needed to think about it, of course they could make it work. But then again, Rory had applied to papers all over America. If she had been offered a job on the other side of the country, would she have taken it? Rory tried to believe her answer would have been no.

'Good. Come here,' Robert commanded, opening his arms once again and enclosing Rory inside. 'Love you, and hey, you will find a position soon.'

'Hmm, I guess.' She thought for a moment before sarcastically adding, 'I hear the cleaning staff at the horse magazine are still hiring, so there's always that.'

Robert chuckled, 'Need I remind you, you're scared of horses.'

'Oh, yeah. Kick me while I'm down, why don't you,' she said, a small smile present on her face.

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A/N: So, I know that chapters kinda short but we just wanted to set the story. Originally there was more dialogue but it seemed right to just end it here rather than have Rory freak out over something else.

Once again, please review


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